Swan Cleaners goes green, with solar panels

Apr. 25, 2013

Written by

Jami Kinton

News Journal

MANSFIELD — Swan Cleaners is hoping to pave the way for area dry cleaners to go green.

In February, the 165 Park Ave West company installed 62 solar panels, a 15.19 kilowatt system, on the roof of its building.

The effort took approximately a week.

Nicholas Spognardi, owner of Green 4 Energy in Mansfield, believes Swan is the only dry cleaner in nine counties to use solar panels, and the largest commercial building in the last two years.

Owner Jeff Kent said the decision was made for several reasons, and went beyond a financial savings on his utility bill.

“In the last five to six years, we’ve done everything we can to Go Green,” Kent said. “We are the only 100 percent green dry cleaner in the area, meaning the solvents in our machines are considered 100-percent clean.

“This building was built in 1945, and we try hard to keep it up. Plus, the panels add value to the building.”

Solar panels use light energy from the sun to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. Each panel is worth 245 watts of electricity. Spognardi said the savings is 16 to 40 percent of his yearly consumption.

Swan’s also hopes to receive its first renewable energy credit, which takes about three months after installation. The cost of the system was around $50,000.

Spognardi noted even on cloudy days, power is still produced.

“The upkeep is very minimal,” he said. “Just take some water and water the panels down if you do have any issues. It is recommended that they’re cleaned at least once a quarter.”

Kent said Swan hasn’t experienced any problems thus far with the system.

“This is just our first phase,” he said. “Phase two is for a water recovery system, which will be a big savings to our natural gas bill.”

Spognardi said the panels can be installed into any facility whether they have a sloped or flat roof.

To learn more, contact Green 4 Energy at 419-989-4189.

Be sure to see Thursday’s print and online editions for more stories about how Richland County is going green.